Inside this Article

The PV array placement left room for a solar hot water collector. Note the vertical riser of the geyser pump, a characteristic of the Sunnovations system.

Although this Washington, DC, townhouse has a fairly small, flat roof, it still accommodates both PV and SHW systems.

The vertical part is the geyser pump and the horizontal is the overflow reservoir, which prevents overheating of the heat-transfer fluid.

This concept model has clear glass to view the geyser’s pumping action.

A new Bradford White solar hot water storage tank also provides backup heating, saving space in an already-crowded basement.

A side view of the top of the tank showing the thermometer that measures the tank’s output temperature (the nearest copper pipe riser). Above it is the Honeywell adjustable mixing valve. The pink electrical cable is the 240 VAC electricity for backup water heating. The two twisted pair wires in the background connect to unused sensors (for active, not passive, systems) in the Bradford White tank.

Solar-heated HTF coming into the storage tank (top gauge). The system pressure at the collectors ranges from 28 mm of mercury (vacuum) to 0 (ambient pressure) and depends on the insolation, ambient temperature, and temperature of the fluid returning from the heat exchanger. The gauge at the tank shows a higher pressure, as it includes head pressure (0.43 psi per vertical foot).

The chimney was removed and capped at roof level so it would not shade the PV modules

The old flue is now the chase for the foam-insulated PEX tubing going to and from the SHW collector.

The collector has quite a presence on the modest-sized townhouse’s rooftop.

Beginner

When my fiancée and I were ready to have a solar hot water (SHW) system installed at our Washington, DC, townhouse, I figured our only choice was to buy an active system that required mechanical valves and electronic controllers, and electricity to operate them. Of the four SHW systems I have owned, two were “active” (electrically pumped) systems and two were “passive” (self-pumped) systems, the latter with no moving parts. I prefer the latter because moving parts are subject to failure.

Then I ran across a start-up company—Sunnovations—touting its “geyser pump,” which also has no moving parts. Sunnovations drew on—and then improved upon—the simultaneously famous and infamous Copper Cricket design—a passively (self-)pumped collector that was produced several decades ago (I was a satisfied owner of two of them).

Like most SHW systems of that era, the Copper Cricket was far from perfect. Despite its main advantage of having no moving parts, the Copper Cricket had two major shortcomings: it operated under a vacuum that could fail and frequently did; and it could overheat and “cook” the antifreeze solution that served as the heat-transfer fluid (HTF) between the collector and the storage tank.

Sunnovations SHW systems are currently the only “self-pumped” systems certified by the industry-standard Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC). Sunnovations has obtained SRCC “OG-300” certifications for 41 system configurations, using combinations of five different collector brands, one- to three-collector arrays of varying-sized collectors, single and double storage tanks, and gas or electric backup heat.

The Sunnovations geyser pump depends upon a vacuum (negative pressure) to reduce the boiling point of the heat-transfer fluid to about 100°F. The “geyser pump,” which relies on solar heat for its pumping action, is the heart of the system. It can be affixed to almost any collector. (The Copper Cricket was an all-in-one geyser pump and solar collector.) After an initial vacuum has been established, the pump circulates the HTF through the collectors. As the sun warms the geyser pump, pressure increases and the heated fluid flows.

Bright sun means higher operating temperatures and higher operating pressures. But even in full sun, the system operates at slightly below ambient (outside) atmospheric pressures. The maximum temperature the system may reach is 185°F, below the temperature at which the HTF breaks down. When the system pressure reaches the ambient pressure, a relief valve vents steam to a reservoir where it condenses back to liquid, and the geyser pump continues to operate. When the storage tank is fully heated, the return fluid to the collector will exceed 140°F, causing the pressure to rise rapidly. The temperature-limiting mechanism, which vents excess steam, cannot keep up, so fluid is vented out of the collector into the reservoir, thereby preventing the fluid from overheating. After the system cools, all the fluid expelled to the reservoir is drawn back into the system, which revitalizes the vacuum.

As the geyser pump system simply will not operate in extremely high temperatures, oxygen-barrier cross-linked high-density polyethylene (PEX) tubing can be used, rather than more expensive (materials and labor) copper pipe to carry the transfer fluid between the collector and the storage tank. PEX is flexible, so fewer joints are necessary and the joints are easier to make. While PEX piping can be problematic in traditional high-pressure and high-temperature active pumping SHW systems, as the Sunnovation system is self-limiting of both temperature and pressure, PEX is quite suitable.

While heated fluid flows without additional energy from electric pumps, for the passive Sunnovation system, the solar collector and geyser pump must be 33 feet or less above the storage tank. The geyser pump loses some heat to the outside air, especially on cold days. The unit must be warmed by the sun to 100°F to pump, so an active system set to come on at 90°F can be more productive on cold winter mornings. The relatively low flow rate (about 1 gallon per minute for two 4- by 8-foot collectors) will also result in some loss of heat delivered to the storage tank.

Comments (11)

Michael, Please email through my website (www.andykerr.net) and I can give you the contact info for the former Sunnovations CEO and also its engineering genius. They might be able to help and live in northern VA.

Hi Andy
Good to hear things are going well there. I found what is left of the geyser people on Facebook and left a message. I will post here what ever I find out later.

Thanks for the HPWH tip, but I am "old school" solar and have been patching up my active system with used parts as things fail. 35 years and counting now. I cant understand why some articles out here in webland tell readers solar systems need replaced in 20 years. Nonsense!

I was thinking about the geyser idea as a retrofit for mine because I recently joined the NOVEC time-of-use metering program and of course "on peak" times are also the best part of the solar day. On peak rates are 33 cents/kWh (ouch!) so I have good reason to avoid those hours. My pumps and controllers eat about an amp. Thus the geyser idea.

Maybe someone has a used geyser they dont want any more? I am in Manassas Va. Free removal. hint hint.

My geyser pump system is still working fine. Alas, I was an early adopter. It's a great solar hot water system, but prices and technology have moved on. Today, I would not install a SHW system, but instead install more PV panels and use the electricity to power a state-of-the-art heat pump water heater. My storage tank failed on another SHW system I own and it was better to replace with a HPWH. No fluid circuits to worry about failing, no moving parts like pumps, etc. The cost of PV has dropped so much and the efficiency of HPWHs has increased so much that a dedicated SHW system no longer makes economic sense. Sunnovation has moved on to be https://aquanta.io, so I really doubt if parts are available. You might contact them if you have a system and need parts.

I see this thread is not too active anymore. But if you do read this Andy, can you tell me if your geyser pump solar HW system still functions like it should? Also were I may find parts for one. Thanks
Mike

REinMT,
Although it is more costly per unit of heat, I chose electric over gas because:
(1) I avoided having to spend $1200 installing a flu liner in the chimney to be able to continue with gas hot water backup. Having installed a new very high efficiency gas furnace with direct vent to outside wall meant that the waste heat from the aperiodic use of the water heater wouldn't be enough to keep the chimney from rotting from the inside out due to moisture buildup.
(2) I produce 70% of my electricity from PV panels on the roof and will be reconfiguring the existing panels and adding more so when the sun doesn't shine on my SHW system, it previously did on my PV system and my electricity is fossil fuel-free.
I'm sure my electricity consumption has gone up with the added load, but not that I've noticed on the bill.

Andy,
You mentioned tracking performance and your observations. Forgive me if I didn't pick up on this is in the article, but you detailed the reduction in gas consumption after the system was installed but omitted the increase (if any) in electricity consumed by the back-up water heater. Are you grid-tied? Of course gas consumption will decrease because you removed the gas water heater - but has purchased electricity increased at all to account for domestic water heating? Thanks

The Sunnovation Geyser Pump is the only "self-pumped" device certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC), the de facto industry standard for rating solar hot water systems. The Copper Cricket is no longer manufactured and I discuss its pros and cons in my article. You might be able to find one used, but who knows what shape it would be in internally. Duplicating the Copper Cricket or the Geyser Pump would be very difficult, if not also patent-infringing on the latter.

Andy
Thanks for your prompt response. They do not sell directly or through distributors, only their installers. I have taken (and passed) the NABCEP Solar Thermal Entry Level exam and am in the process of constructing an Ultra Green Demo Building Project. I prefer to do all my own work. Is there any one else selling a similar product? You mention a Copper Cricket in your article, can that device be duplicated?
Thanks

The installer was Solar Energy Services (solarsaves.net), which services the greater Washington, DC area. You can contact Sunnovations(.com) to see if they would sell you their geyser pump directly, but I think their business model is to work through installers that they certify.

Andy
I have a couple of questions about the geyser pump system.
Did you install the system yourself?
If so, where did you purchase components?
Where can I find individual component prices so I can make a rational comparison as to whether this system would suit my needs and budget?
Thanks